October 2013

July 2013

July 26, 2013

Business “culture” is a phrase that is frequently used, but it’s a hard-to-describe idea. Let’s take a look at what it means for you and your business.

Webster’s dictionary defines ‘culture’ as the “knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, and traits” that a group of people have in common. We don’t have to travel to foreign lands to get a sense of different cultures. Every business has a unique and distinct culture. A business’ culture can be hard to pinpoint, but usually we “know it when we see it.” Or, more accurately, we might know it when we feel it.

Have you ever walked into a meeting and realized you were the only one wearing a suit when everyone else was in jeans? Can you recall a time among colleagues who were using industry acronyms and ‘slang’ and all you could do was guess at what they were speaking of? What happens in the first few minutes of a meeting in your business – do you get right to the agenda, or is there a 10-minute chat session before the meeting begins? Those are all examples of how we dress, speak, and act in our business – or, they are examples of business culture.

Considering your business culture might help you when it’s time to reinforce what’s working, and attempt to change what isn’t, in your business. When you think about your business culture, can you answer these questions: Who has the biggest influence in this group? Who do others listen to? What do people care about? Which behaviors get rewarded and which behaviors are frowned upon? How do decisions get made?

Answering these questions will help you better understand your business culture – the beliefs, behaviors, and traits that members of your group have in common.
Whether we’re referring to a business or a foreign country, culture is difficult to describe but easy to see; it is hard to define but ‘felt’ by us all. Think about the culture you have and the culture you want, and make sure the culture reflects the important beliefs, behaviors and traits for you and your business.

By: Tara Kuipers, University of Wyoming Extension Community Development Educator, Northwest Area

July 24, 2013

A while back I noticed that I’m no longer the youngster in the room. Somehow, without my noticing, my hair has gone grey, I have a less than athletic shape, and sometimes I get called “sir”. Someone asked me what lessons I’ve learned over my career. I have been around for a number of years and am coming up on 30 years of experience in marketing, sales and management. In thinking about this question, I came across an article in “Innovation Daily” (www.innovationamerica.us) that really struck a chord with me and matches with my experiences. In it Jarred Cinman writes about “4 things I wish I’d known about business 15 years ago”. These are:

1. Medium is Beautiful. Having worked in large companies and small, I can tell you that innovation and drive seem to thrive more easily in smaller organizations. Mr. Cinman feels that the ideal size is 50 people or less because the systems and processes required are minimal and everyone knows each other, making it easier to keep a quality staff. I would concur and add the sense of “family” that a small organization can and should foster helps it survive tough times and prosper when the economy turns better. Smaller organizations are inherently more flexible and can shift direction much more easily than larger companies.

2. Great people are (really) hard to find. If you live in Wyoming, you probably feel this even more than folks in other parts of the country. We are one of the most rural states, have a small population, and therefore a small pool of candidates for any particular job. Cinman notes that many business owners don’t understand how hard it is to find great people. Most of us end up settling for someone with “potential” and hoping that we can turn them into someone who is “great”. My experience would indicate that this seldom happens. It is vital to work really hard at finding people who are great. After all, you will tend to spend more time with these people than you will with your husband or wife. Make sure that when you hire, you are spending the time and resources to find great people.

3. Service is a verb. Remember that service is an action. Drill into everyone in your organization that great customer service is not optional, but absolutely essential. If you have an employee that can’t empathize with your customers and clients, then you need to ask yourself whether or not they belong in your organization. Think about companies that are famous for service. My kids still talk about a Disney World trip where the maid left a Goofy doll in different positions each time we returned. EVERYONE in your organization should have customer service as their prime duty. In today’s social media world poor service shows up immediately….but so does great service. Which would you rather be known for?

4. Everything has a solution. Cinman notes that “There is no such thing as an unsolvable problem in business”. I would agree with this. Way back in my past, I was Director of International Marketing for a medium-sized company. With the easing of the cold war, I started getting inquiries about our products from Eastern Europe. My colleagues and my boss told me that there would never be a market for our products in such distressed areas. However, I worked closely with a number of start-ups, explained the concept of selling at a profit (unheard of in communist countries) and within several years we had offices in Moscow and Poland….and the second largest customer for our entire company behind WalMart was my distributor in Moscow. The big problems require hard work and perseverance, but in my experience most of them can be solved.

5. Have Fun. This last one is not in Mr. Cinman’s article, but is one that I believe in wholeheartedly. If you aren’t having fun, if you don’t enjoy what you are doing, then why are you spending the biggest part of the week doing it? Find a business that you love and you are always going to be the better for it.
A challenge to those of you who are no longer “youngsters”.

July 19, 2013

Ok, I’m not sure there is any one thing that is the most important. Because I come from a financial background, I tend to lean toward understanding the financial side of the business. Others might say marketing. However, I think the single most important factor in any business, large or small, is COMMUNICATION!

When you think about it, we communicate in all facets of our business; with vendors or suppliers, customers, employees, equity or funding partners, and so on. This dialogue can of course take many forms. It might be in writing, a radio ad, phone call, internal memo or e-mail (or more often these days a text message), or the old fashioned face-to-face conversation. It might be our web site, Facebook page, Twitter feed, or newspaper copy. But however we are communicating, it’s very important that we project the image and professionalism that is expected. With all the messages we are bombarded by daily, getting our message heard is often hard, but critical.

So, what if writing or communication is not your strong suit? I suggest that you have someone that is good at it, and understands what you are trying to say, review your text prior to publishing or hitting “Send”. This might be overkill for some things and you will need to make that call, but it could be very important and possibly even cause or contribute to the failure of a business if done poorly. Even if you are pretty good, a second opinion or set of eyes is not a bad idea. I use this approach quite often myself.

What is your method for ensuring that your communication comes across the way you want it to?

July 12, 2013

One of the more common questions the PTAC gets is, "Do I have to pay to register my business for government contracting?"

The simple answer is: no.

The slightly-longer-and-less-simple answer is:

You should absolutely NOT be paying anything to meet the basic requirements to do business with the federal government. But, unfortunately, there are numerous companies out there that recognize an opportunity to exploit a service that shouldn't cost business owners a penny.

Because the process for registering your business to do work with the government can be complicated and confusing, many companies take advantage of the fact that people may do a simple Google search - "System for Award Management" or "DUNS number", for example - and then click on the first result that comes up. These companies typically charge a fee of between $300 and $600 depending on the registration or "package" you choose. However, almost everything you do in relation to government contracting can be done free of chage and the PTAC can assist you with the entire process, making sure unnecessary charges for these registrations aren't incurred. The best thing to do before getting started is to call the PTAC. Our program can offer free, step-by-step guidance through all facets of the process.

But if you do get started on your own, it's important to know the difference between the legitimate resources and those that are simply trying to make a few dollars. For example, if you want to obtain a DUNS number, which is absolutely required to do business with the government, make sure you use this website: D&B Webform. Or call them directly at (866) 705-5711. Dun & Bradstreet, the company that issues the DUNS number, will do so for free. But they also offer other products and services that include a fee. Don't pay for any of them when obtaining a DUNS number.

There are also many companies that charge to help you register in the System for Award Management (SAM), another absolute requirement. The most common are the U.S. Federal Contractor Registration, the Federal Contractor Registry, and the United States Business Registration. All of these companies charge nearly $600 for their services and, while they're not doing anything illegal, can't provide the one-on-one attention you'll get with the PTAC. Also, after you pay, they're nearly impossible to contact if a problem arises.If you attempt to register in SAM on your own, make sure you end up here.

Back to the simple answer: a business should not pay anything to complete the necessary registrations for government contracting. Before you get started, contact the PTAC at (307) 259-7931 to make sure you're registering in the right places.

July 05, 2013

Meeting all the requirements to do business with the government, like obtaining a DUNS Number and registering in the System for Award Management (SAM), is only the first step a business must take in winning a government contract. After those tasks are taken care of, a business owner has to then figure out how to actually market their products or services to government agencies. The first step in that process for every business should be filling out a Dynamic Small Business Search Profile (also referred to as an SBA Profile).

The Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) website is a tool that government agencies use to find prospective businesses to bid on contracts. When a solicitation has an anticipated value of less than $25,000, a government agency doesn't have to advertise it publicly. Rather, they can use the DSBS website to search for the type of business they need and choose a handful of companies to bid from the list they see after they enter their search criteria. Agencies can search by geographic location, NAICS Codes, keywords, and numerous other criteria.

A business can fill out its DSBS Profile as part of the SAM registration process. However, because completing this profile isn't mandatory to register in SAM, it's tempting for businesses to skip this step. Businesses that don't complete the DSBS Profile, though, are missing a huge opportunity to market their business to government agencies.

For example, when an agency searches on the DSBS site, they see a list of results that includes basic contact information and a Capabilities Narrative (here's a list of results as an example - results are always randomized, so you can't ensure your business appears at the top of the list). This Capabilities Narrative is a vital piece of a business's effort to market to the government. If the Capabilities Narrative doesn't catch the attention of the agency (or, even worse, is blank), they'll move onto a business that has a more effective narrative. Things to focus on in the narrative, which has a limit of 255 characters, include:

Your experience in your industry

Any past contract work you may have (whether government or private work)

A list of the core products or services you provide

The Wyoming Entrepreneur PTAC can assist businesses in drafting a Capabilities Narrative that can also be used as part of "physical" marketing materials like brochures that can be given to government agency representatives at matchmaking events like the annual GRO-Biz Conference & Idea Expo. Contact Brett Housholder at 307-259-7931 or brett.housholder@uwyo.edu for more information.